Falling For You
by ColorsOfTheSky101
Summary: He fell for her then, he still falls for her now. A Zoey and Chase Threeshot.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** He fell for her then, he still falls for her now. A Zoey and Chase Twoshot.

**A/N: **I'm so insanely excited for the new Zoey 101 movie, _**Chasing Zoey**_, that I just_ had_ to write this.

**Falling For You**

_He was riding on his bike, as he did most days, looking for his roommates. It was a new day, a new year, and little did he know, a new beginning._

_He rode past a bunch of bushes, thinking annoyed how his hair looked unnaturally like them. Minus the green, of course. Although Logan occasionally threatened to dye it that way in his sleep. See, this was why Michael was his best bud._

_And then he saw her._

_He looked again not really concentrating, then his eyes snapped right back to her, in absolute amazement. She was pretty, no, beautiful, no…__**perfect**__._

_She caught sight of him and smiled. If he wasn't on his bike he probably would've fainted._

_"Hey!" he called out, and started pedaling faster._

_"Hey!" she repeated, waving._

_It was then that Chase Matthews felt on top of the world, until a few moments later, when he ran into the school flagpole._

_As he fell, it hit him. __**I'm in love**__._

_He didn't know her yet. He didn't know where she was from, her favorite color, or even her name. But he did know that. He loved her. The feeling he had could not be anything else._

_Her eyes widened and she ran over to help him up. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?"_

_**Think fast, Chase! Think!**__ "Uh, yeah, you know, I was just…" Man, I've got nothing. "…uh, checking the flag. It's a flag."_

_She laughed, but stopped, looking at his arm. "I think you're arms bleeding."_

_"Oh right. "He looked over at his scratch. Wasn't too bad. Completely worth meeting this amazing girl. "That's what happens when I, uh, get wounded." __**Stupid Chase, stupid! That happens to everyone when they're wounded!**_

_She laughed again and he began to relax. "I'm Zoey."_

_"Chase." I responded. __**Zoey. **__He liked the sound of her name. A lot. "Uh, so are you, like, a new student here?" __**Is there ever an end to my stupidity? **__"Wait, never mind, stupid question, why else would you be here? Unless you were dropping someone off and, uh…you know what? I'll bleed, you talk. What's up?"_

_"Nothing much." She answered with a shrug. "And yeah, I'm a new student here."_

_"Yeah, you know, I think it's great that PCA is finally accepting girls here, and you probably do, you know, being a girl and all…" he rambled. "N-no offense though!"_

_She smiled and laughed. __**Am I really that funny? **__"It's okay, been a girl my whole life."_

* * *

What's the big deal about prom anyway? She didn't have to go if she didn't want to. It wasn't important to her. It was stupid to her. Not drippin', as Michael would say.

At least that's what she told everyone.

Lola and Quinn didn't seem to buy it; _I guess I don't blame them, I mean, you'd think I'd want nothing but to go, having a perfect boyfriend and all._

Sure, James could be considered perfect. He was tall, had blonde hair, gorgeous eyes, and was sweet. They had had a perfect, romantic first kiss, went on a number of dates (even though most were invaded by her friends), and he really, really liked her.

So most people would assume that everything was right in the world of Zoey Brooks.

_Ehh_. Wrong. But thanks for playing.

Maybe James was perfect, but just not perfect for _her_. Sure he had perfectly blonde hair, but she couldn't ruffle it and tease him about it. His eyes were nice, but they didn't pierce through her. They've been on dates and they've kissed, but could James make her laugh 'til she cried, and could she and James do anything together, from grape fights to late night dance parties, just the two of them? No, he couldn't.

And yeah, he really liked her, and she really liked him. But he wasn't in love with her. She wasn't in love with him. They weren't in love.

In other words, _he's no Fuzzyhead_.

And no matter how hard she tried, James couldn't replace him. Not that her intentions were to replace him. She wasn't using James. She did like him. But all the while she couldn't ignore her feelings. For Chase Matthews.

One doesn't love because of perfection. They love despite imperfection. And Chase had many, but she wouldn't change anything.

He had kept her grounded. Whenever she was angry., he'd be there.

He had always kept her grounded, even thought he himself fell a lot.

Now that he was gone, Zoey needed that sort of protection back. She couldn't find it in James. Or anyone.

* * *

_Another new year, another new day. Chase raised the speed on his bike higher and higher, desperate to find Zoey, who, according to Michael, was looking for him as well. He finally saw her walking with Nicole, her roommate, right next to a set of stairs._

_She had gotten more beautiful, if that was even possible._

_He called her name, and she looked up and called it back, waving. He was so excited that he forget to stop his bike and down he fell, falling for Zoey Brooks yet again. Possibly harder this time. Good thing his hair was so bushy._

_They caught up a bit, but then she had to go. But before she was gone, she turned to him, looked at him quizzically, and asked. "Did your hair get bushier?"_

_He smiled and ran a finger through his bushy jungle. "It's possible."_

* * *

Going to the prom with James just wouldn't feel right. So she just wouldn't go. She'd fake an illness. James would understand; he's very understanding, but doesn't understand _her_. Chase would know she was faking. But he won't, so that was her plan.

_God, it's so wrong to be comparing them._

As her mind continued to wander, her phone rang. _Ring…ring… _She didn't recognize the number. "Hello?"

"Hey Zoe." The voice on the other end made her heart speed up and activated those not-so-frequently activated butterflies. Zoey rarely got nervous, but boy, was she nervous.

"Chase?"

"Turn around." So she did. And there he was. Sitting on the fountain, with a smile that sent her mind in ten thousand billion directions.

* * *

_He wanted that single bed. He would have that single bed, and nothing would stop him._

_Or so he thought._

_Because as he rounded a corner, there she stood. Taller, tanner, happier. Guilt filled his stomach thinking of Rebecca, the girlfriend he met over summer break._

_He thought replacing Zoey would rid him of his feelings, even though nothing on this earth would. Nothing._

_"Zoey!" he yelled, catching her attention. He was panting and his stuff was flailing about as he raced by her._

_"Chase!" she yelled, clearly glad to see her best guy friend after a whole summer._

_"I can't talk now!" Chase yelled, still running. "I gotta beat Michael and Logan to the–"_

_And then he tripped and fell. Like always. Proving his feelings hadn't and would never change for the girl he fell in front of._

* * *

"No way!" Zoey broke out into the biggest grin possible and ran up the stairs to the fountain and into his open arms.

When they pulled apart, he smiled his signature half smile and said, "Way."

"Are you back for good?" she asked.

"Look behind me and find out, Ms. Brooks!" From the glow of the moon reflecting off the fountain water, she could barely make out silhouettes of suitcases.

"That's great!" she said, completely psyched that he was back. She noticed his hair was slightly less bushy, but not my much. "Everyone's missed you so much, It so hasn't been the same, and whenever we talked about you, James –" She stopped babbling abruptly and her smile faded.

Chase noticed this and became confused. "James? I don't remember a James. Who's he?"

"Oh, uh…" Zoey tried to sound cheery, but it wasn't very easy. "He's Michael and Logan's new roommate. You know, the whole PCA policy and all…"

"Right, okay." Chase nodded. A silent fell over them for a few moments. Chase was looking at Zoey as if he was trying to understand something. Finally, he spoke. "There's something you're not telling me."

"What?" she said, shocked. "You're crazy, why would you think that?" Jeez, he knows me too well.

"Because I know you." He said seriously. "Something's up. Come on, Zoe, you can tell me, we're – "

"Zoey?" a familiar voice called out, causing a great panic to sweep over Zoey. "Zoey! I thought that was you. I want to know – " James stopped talking when he noticed Chase, standing completely confused next to her. "Oh, uh, hi…"

"Hello." Said Chase, now feeling uncomfortable. A realization stuck him. "I'm guessing you're James? I'm Chase."

"Oh, hey." James said tonelessly, then averted his attention back to Zoey, who was currently praying he wouldn't ask her what he was going to ask. "So Zoey, I know you're really dead-set against going to prom because you think it's stupid, but I promise if we go together I'll make it fun. Isn't that what boyfriends are for anyway?"

She froze, not knowing what to say. She could feel Chase's hurt eyes on her, but wouldn't dare to look.

"Oh…you-you guys are…" Chase said quietly, feeling so ridiculously betrayed and hurt. "…dating?" The last word came out as somewhere between a cough and a sneeze.

"Yeah, for about the whole semester." James answered in a happy tone, which made Zoey want to glare. But she didn't. "Didn't Zoey tell you?"

"No." Zoey finally turned to Chase but his face was hidden by his hair. "She didn't." Silence hung in the air. In fact, it was so silent that Zoey wanted to scream and make it go away. She wanted to explain it all in one look. Her eyes told the story, told everything. _Come on, Chase…look at me…_

But instead, he mumbled that he had to go, grabbed his bags, and started down the fountain stairs.

He tripped over his guitar and fell. Then he got up, all alone, and disappeared into the night.

* * *

**A/N: Tell me what you think. Part two coming soon!**

**-Colors**


	2. Chapter 2

Summary: He fell for her then, he still falls for her now

**Summary:** He fell for her then, he still falls for her now. A Zoey and Chase Threeshot.

**A/N: **Part dos, people.

**Falling For You**

**Chapter Two**

_The two of them looked in between two branches of a tree, on the look out for Trisha and pondering the task ahead._

_Chase was still in shocked about the plan. And excited too. But also nervous. He was going to be Zoey's boyfriend (even if it was for only a few minutes)! He was surprised he even had the guts to suggest this idea, but it was a really good way to convince Trisha to leave Chase alone and go date a bank robber or something._

_"Okay, there's Trisha." Zoey announced, waking him from his thoughts._

_"Yup," he answered, distracted._

_She looked at him. "So, ready to be my boyfriend?" He almost laughed at that question, thinking that there probably wasn't anything in the world he was more ready for._

_"Yup," he repeated, still at a loss for anything else to say._

_"Okay," Zoey put out her hand, making sure Trisha was coming their way. "Hold my hand." _

_"Right," he said nervously. He did as he was told and swore he felt sparks when they touched. "Here we go."_

_He'd been wondering for months now what it would be like to hold Zoey Brooks' hand, and found it made his day._

_They both put on a smile and walked towards Trisha, who was leaving one of the dorms._

_Chase was the first to speak up. "Oh look, it's Trisha!"_

_"Hey Trisha!" Zoey said happily. _

_Trisha blew a bubble and then it popped. "Hey…"_

_"Listen," Chase began, his mind racing in ten thousands directions. "Zoey told me she talked to you about…us…and, uh, I hope you understand." Trisha just kept standing there, looking either bored or angry. It was hard to tell._

_"We can't help that we're in love!" Zoey said, and the two of them laughed awkwardly. __**If only this were real…**_

_"You sure this is for real?" Trisha said rudely, obviously not buying it._

_"Oh yeah, totally!" Zoey answered, looking at Chase for confirmation._

_"Absolutely." Chase made clear. He was obviously enjoying this._

_Trisha raised an eyebrow and smirked. "So, how long have you two been dating?"_

_"A year/six months." Chase had said six months, Zoey had said a year. There was a momentary pause._

_"A year…" Chase started._

_"And six months." Zoey finished._

_"Eighteen months if ya add on holidays." Chase added. They both smiled._

_"Okay…" Trisha said, still not convinced. "If you're boyfriend and girlfriend…let's see ya kiss."_

_Zoey and Chase turned to either, shocked. They had definitely not planned for that._

_"Um, I'm sorry, what?!" Zoey asked, confused. __**Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my –**_

_Trisha popped her gum again. I leaned in to Zoey and whispered quietly. "Uh, she wants to see us to kiss…"_

_"I heard what she said." Zoey whispered back, sharply. This made Chase's heart sink a little._

_"Okay." He whispered, and shrugged._

_"Well, do it!" Trisha demanded. "Kiss!" Zoey and Chase looked at each other again, trying to figure out what to do. Then they laughed lightly._

_"Come on, is this really necessary?" Zoey asked, laughing, hoping Trisha would reason with her. Chase closed his eyes. __**Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes!**_

_"Yeah." Trisha said matter-of-factedly._

_"Sh-she said yes," Chase pointed out._

_"Um…Trisha…" said Zoey, about to speak._

_"I knew you were lying." Trisha stated. By this point Chase had a feeling Zoey was just going to confess that they were, in fact, lying. So Chase decided to do it first._

_"Okay listen Trisha –"_

_"Fine! We'll kiss!" Zoey said, obviously angered by Trisha and wanting to prove her wrong. Chase's heart sped up. __**Oh. My. God.**_

_"What?" he asked, pretty shocked by her statement._

_"She doesn't believe us, we'll show her."_

_"Sh-show her?"_

_"Just kiss me like you always do." Zoey said, in a tone that meant, 'just stick with the plan'._

_"Oh. Right. No biggie!" Chase obeyed. But it really wasn't no biggie. It was a big biggie. Was he really going to get to kiss Zoey Brooks?_

_They turned to each other. Chase looked at Zoey questioningly, as if to say 'are you sure'? Zoey nodded._

_"Okay…here it goes." Chase said to Trisha._

_They both leaned in. They were getting closer and closer. Everything else around them was gone. The buildings, the people, even, no, especially Trisha. __**So close…**_

_Suddenly, out of nowhere, Dustin ran into Chase. And he fell._

_"Dustin!" Zoey yelled._

_"I told you I'd get you for stealing my woman!" Dustin yelled._

_Chase, now lying on the ground, spoke. "Why do these things always happen to me?"_

* * *

Three and a half years. Forty-two months. One hundred sixty eight weeks. One thousand one hundred seventy-six days. He had waited one thousand one hundred seventy-six days for her, and she couldn't even wait for one semester.

He wanted so badly to be angry but knew he couldn't be. They had agreed to see other people. It was just…he was so sure she'd wait. She had even told him she loved him.

_Chase, you idiot! She probably meant in a brotherly way or something! Stupid, stupid, stupid! _He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

Michael noticed this and tried yet again to talk to his best friend. He was finishing up getting ready for the prom (Logan was surprisingly the first to be ready and already downstairs), which was in about an hour. He was going with Lisa and was beyond excited, but also worried about his best bud. All he knew was that two days ago, he'd talked to Zoey. He found this out from Lola; it was all Zoey had told her.

He also knew that when he arrived at he, Logan and James' dorm (originally his as well), something wasn't right. They'd greeted in the assumed way, and he seemed pretty happy to be back but something was off.

"Dude, prom's in an hour." Michael reminded Chase, putting his jacket on. "You sure you don't wanna come? You can chill with me and my girl Lisa…" he stopped. "You know, for some of it…"

Chase shook his head and took a sip of Blix. "Nah, man, it's cool. I'm just going to sit here and read some magazines."

Michael looked around. "There's no magazine in here."

Chase pretended to be holding a magazine. "There is now. Hey, looks like red is the new orange! Who would've thought?"

"Oh, my bad!" Michael said sarcastically. Then he sighed. "Look man, I know this is about Zoey."

"Who's Zoey?" Chase asked, flipping an invisible page in his invisible magazine. It hurt him to say that, but decided it'd be best to just forget about her. After all, she'd forgotten about him, hadn't he?

Michael couldn't believe his ears. "Man, give me that!" He was about to grab the magazine. "Wait, what am I _doing_?" He pulled up a chair. "Look man, I'm really sorry about whatever happened. I'm guessing it has to do with James, and –"

"Oh yeah," Chase glared. "It would've been nice if my best friend, I don't know, _told_me about him?!"

"Well what was I gonna say?" Michael argued. "'Hey man, how's Covington? Oh, by the way, the girl of your dreams is dating our new roommate!'?"

"Well you know what?" Chase answered angrily.

"What?"

"Dreams are meant for when you fall asleep. And nothing else." Chase ended. "Now let me get back to my magazine."

There was a brief silence.

Then a knock on the door. "Well, that's Lisa."

"Great, tell her I say, 'what's up'." Chase yelled, not looking up.

"It's not too late yet, man." was the last thing his friend said before opening the door to greet his date.

* * *

_"Hey!" Zoey's voice came out of nowhere. __**Where am I? **_

_Chase lifted his head to find himself lying on the ground, Zoey lying right in front of him, face-to-face. Zoey-to-Chase._

_"Hello," he greeted with a smile._

_"Whatcha doin?" she asked._

_"Resting."_

_"Why?"_

_**Oh, I don't know. Maybe because I woke up at 2 AM to dig up your time capsule DVD to find out what you think of me, 'til 3 AM to rebury the capsule, and then 'til 5 AM to dig and bury again because I felt guilty. That could be why. Not too sure. **__"Well, I haven't gotten much sleep in the past couple days."_

_"How come?" she questioned._

_"You know, I've just been busy." He smiled. "Doin' stuff."_

_"Yeah, stuff can keep you busy." She agreed._

_"Yeah."_

_There was a pause, and he looked into her eyes. They were honestly the prettiest eyes he'd ever seen._

_"So listen." She broke him from his brief trance._

_"Yeah?"_

_"You know how you've been asking me what I said about you on my DVD?" __**Yeah, pretty sure I remember.**_

_"Uh huh."_

_"And I said you'll find out in 20 years?"_

_Chase frowned slightly. "Right."_

_"Well, I decided that was a little mean." She admitted._

_"Ya did?" he asked, somewhat happily. __**Was she gonna tell me?**_

_"Mhm."_

_"So?"_

_"So I'm gonna tell you." She stated. __**Oh my god. She **__**is**__** gonna tell me. Yes!**_

_"You're gonna tell me?" he asked excitedly, just to make sure it wasn't a joke._

_"Yep." She smiled. "In 10 years!"_

_"What?!"_

_"Bye!" she started to get up. __**O-ho, it's on now, Brooks!**_

_"Oh, you're dead!" Chase yelled, and started getting up._

_"Ooh, I'm scared!" Zoey mocked, and ran for her Jet-X._

_Chase got up and started running after her, but fell right back down again. "What the -?"_

_**Zoey tied my shoes together.**_

_"Okay, now you're really dead!" Chase warned jokingly. He stood up and started hopping after her._

_"Gotta catch me to kill me!"_

* * *

"Zoey, you look awesome!" Lola gasped when she stepped back into the room. It was true. She was wearing a pink spaghetti-strapped dress with gold overlay, gold ballet flats, hey key necklace, as always, gold hoop earrings, and her hair was down and curly as usual, but had glitter in it.

"Thanks, so do you!" Lola was wearing a dark blue strapless mini-dress, matching high-heels, a long silver necklace, and her hair was up in a fancy knot. "Where's Quinn?"

"Already down there." Lola answered. "It's weird; she doesn't have a date, yet she got down there as fast as she could."

"Yeah, that is really odd." Zoey agreed distractedly. It's not that she wasn't listening; she always listened to her friends. It was just that, she didn't feel like she was making the right choice, going with James to prom. After Chase had his dramatic exit, she had reluctantly agreed to go with him, but was mow wholly regretting it.

"So, have you talked to Chase at all since…you know…that?" Lola asked, suddenly concerned for her good friend. The mentioned of his name made her heart drop. "I'm no idiot; I can see that distracted look in your eyes. Like when Orlando Bloom comes on TV for me."

Zoey laughed lightly. "No. And even if I tried I don't think he'd talk to me anyway. I hurt him a lot."

"He loves you, Zoey." _Probably not anymore. _"It'll work out eventually. In the meantime…" She picked up two pairs of earrings. "Pick for me! Please?"

Zoey sighed and laughed a little. "One's on the right. Definitely."

"Thanks Zoe!" Lola smiled and started humming to herself, putting her earrings on.

"Sure," she replied. "So, hey, when's Vince comin'?"

"Soon. Ooh, I'm so excited!" Lola squealed. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, James is coming with Vince."

"Great," Zoey said, trying to sound happy. As if on cue, there was a knock on their door and Lola went to open it,

"Hey beau!" she greeted Vince, and they kissed.

"Why, don't you look pretty?" James complimented, and kissed Zoey on the cheek.

"You're sweet." She thanked him, half-heartedly.

"Ready to go?" James asked.

"Are you guys coming or are we gonna have to skip the prom and wait 'til our 10 year reunion?" Lola said jokingly. She was now standing halfway out the door with her date.

All eyes were on her when they realized she hadn't answered.

"Zoey?" James looked at her, half concerned, half slightly impatient. She opened her mouth, and then closed it again.

* * *

_He looked at her, surprised to find her so defenseless. There they were in the pool, standing on a platform each, only a few feet apart. His baton was in his hand. Hers was now floating calmly in the water._

_He continued to look at her, and she continued to look at him. He saw beauty, of course. But he also saw anger…betrayal…Things he never wanted to see directed at him, especially by his best girl friend in the world._

_His teammates were screaming at him to finish her off, that she had no way of winning now._

_In a moment he realized he couldn't do it. He couldn't hurt Zoey. He couldn't take away the win that rightfully belonged to her and her team. After all, if he hadn't stolen her Tek-mate, they would've won._

_So he slowly shook his head, still staring into Zoey's eyes, and stepped off his platform. And he didn't take his eyes off of Zoey Brooks until he'd fallen into the water._

* * *

The prom had begun over an hour ago. She was probably having the time of her life, with her perfect, smooth boyfriend.

But why would Chase care? He was perfectly content sitting alone in Michael, Logan and James' dorm playing with Michael's clackers. Except for the fact that every time he used them, they'd end up tangle in either his hair or his fingers…and occasionally both.

Sighing, he threw the clackers to the side. Nothing was going right for him since he'd gotten back. _I guess it was my fault. I assumed the best and then got disappointed._

It was all a waste. All the wondering, all the admiring, all the constant falling, conversations, dancing in the middle of the night, grape fights, rock skipping…none of it probably mattered to her.

Even though it all meant the world to him.

What else could he do? He'd flown halfway across the world, _and_ back, for her. There was nothing left to try. It was hopeless. It was too late.

_**"It's not too late yet, man."**_ What had Michael meant by that, he wanted to know. Did he know something Chase did not?

Chase sat up abruptly, realizing he had to. He was Michael, and Michael, as insane as he was, had never been wrong before. He had been telling Chase all along to just tell Zoey his feelings. If he'd just listened to him, everything would be going well.

So it was then, an hour and fifteen minutes into prom, that Chase Matthews got up from Logan's beanbag chair, looked in the mirror, glanced awkwardly at his bushy mess, and then raced out of the building, on his way to the gym to give his dream one more try. And on the way there, he didn't trip. Not even once.

* * *

**A/N: I've decided to make this a Three-Shot because Part two would've been way too long. The third and last part we'll come shortly.**

**By the way, I found it funny that James said "What are boyfriends for?" This was only because the night before, I had made him say something really similar. It just proves he's annoying. Alright, review please!**

**-Colors**


	3. Chapter 3

Summary: He fell for her then, he still falls for her now

**Summary:** He fell for her then, he still falls for her now. A Zoey and Chase Threeshot.

**A/N: **The last chapter! Let's just pretend I said something totally witty here.

**Falling For You**

**Chapter Three**

_**There's no way Zoey's really dating Logan. **__Chase thought to himself, as Zoey approached Logan. He was hiding in a bush, as instructed by Logan, so he could prove Zoey was dating him._

_**Which'll be hard considering it's not true. **__He thought. He was right; it wasn't. But he didn't know that when the two started to converse, they were merely talking about Logan tutoring Logan in chemistry._

_"Oh hey, what're you doing here?" Logan asked._

_"Uh, weren't we supposed to meet here at 4 o'clock?" she questioned._

_"Yes! Hey!" he hugged her._

_"Hey…" she said, somewhat confused, but hugging him back. __**Okay, I'm still not completely convinced…**_

_"So, where should we go today?" he moved his head in Chase's direction. He was mocking him. That was so not cool._

_"I dunno," Zoey answered. "Library…your room?" __**Oh, god. His room?**_

_"Yeah, you know, wherever we can be alone." Logan confirmed. __**Oh my god Zoey please protest…**_

_"Right," she agreed. __**No way. There's just no way.**_

_If Zoey could love someone like Logan, and not him, there really wasn't any hope left._

_"You know," Logan began. "I think this is working out pretty good between me and you. Dontcha think?"_

_"Yeah, I mean, it's kinda weird but it's working for me." Zoey answered._

_"Listen, I gotta tell you something. I, uh…" he looked at Chase through the bush. __**I swear on the biggest cookie in the world that I am going to kill Logan. **__"I told Chase what's going on between us."_

_"What?" she asked, shocked. "I thought we decided no one should know!"_

_"He's my friend!" Logan defended. "I just felt like he needed to hear the truth!" __**Friend? FRIEND? Ha, good one Logan. Not when this is over.**_

_"You mad?" Logan's tone of voice made Chase's skin crawl with disgust._

_Zoey sighed. "I guess not…I mean, I hate that I've been lying to Lola and Quinn."_

_"Exactly! We shouldn't have to keep secrets from our friends!" Logan said, with emphasis._

_"Yeah I know, it's just chemistry." Zoey laughed. Chase froze._

_"Yes! You know chemistry which," Logan paused. "We have together."_

_"ALRIGHT!" Chase quickly fell out of the bush, completely disoriented. "I, have, heard, ENOUGH!"_

_Enough to know that some things just aren't meant to be._

* * *

"Let's prom it up!"

The music was at its highest, now playing _I've Got You_ by Mcfly. Everyone was jumping to the beat, dancing with their dates, feeling on top of the world.

Logan wasn't particularly happy. Everyone thought he was dateless. He wasn't though.

He was going to the prom with the prettiest, smartest, most creative, energetic, witty girl he's ever known. And currently, he was wishing he could be next to her, dancing with _her_…instead of being annoyed half to death by Stacy. He'd only gotten to see her in the fifteen minutes before prom. It so wasn't enough.

He could've been, if they weren't keeping their dating a secret from the world.

Quinn was sharing the same fate, standing at the other end of the gym with her friends from the Girls Science Club (Firewire still hasn't lifted his "Boys-Only" decree on the actual Science Club).

Both of them knew _something_ had to be done. So they set off to find each other at the exact same time.

And crashed right into each other.

"Logan!"

"Quinn, whoa! I'm sorry, are you okay?" He helped her up. She sighed.

"Not really." She smiled a small smile. "I've been missing you all night."

"Guess I wasn't the only one then." Logan put his hands into his pockets and looked into her eyes.

"You missed yourself?" Quinn joked.

"You know what I mean!"

"I know." Her smile faded. "Look, I think we should –"

"Tell everyone we're dating?" Logan finished. He was thinking the same thing.

"You read my mind." Quinn confirmed with a nod. He grabbed her hand, receiving stares from a few people around them, and a few whispers.

"Let 'em talk." Logan said. "They're just jealous anyway." Quinn rolled her eyes as they approached their friends.

"Um, did we miss something?" Michael asked, who had just taken a break from emceeing the prom.

_Dirty Little Secret,_ by the All-American Rejects began to play.

"We have something to say," Quinn explained, still holding Logan's hand. "It's about –"

"Chase!" Lola shouted all of a sudden.

"Chase?" Quinn repeated, confused.

"Look, he's here!" Lola yelled, causing everyone to turn. As Lola said, there he was, running up to his friends as fast as he could.

"Hey man!" Michael yelled. "I knew you'd end up coming."

"It's great you're here!" Lola greeted, giving him a friendly hug.

"Thanks you guys but there's no time!" Chase said, exasperated. "Where's Zoey?!"

"We don't know!" Quinn answered.

"Well then where's James?!"

"Over there!" Logan pointed quickly. They were all confused as Chase ran for his life towards that direction.

Sure enough, there was James, a tan, blonde girl right by his side, although her back was to him.

Chase approached and took a deep breath, grabbed the girl by the shoulders and turned here around.

"Zoey, I need to –"

* * *

_**"Just tell Zoey you love her."**_

_Michael's words rang through his mind as he leaned against a wall, watching Zoey watch Gender Defenders._

_He couldn't help it. She was beautiful inside and out. She was his best friend, and only his best friend at that point, but he couldn't live without her._

_He was in love with her. She should know. She had to know._

_He took out his Tek-mate, his heart racing faster than ever before. He opened a new text message box, to Zoey, and typed: "The message was…I LOVE YOU." _

_He hesitated for a moment, reminiscing through all they've been, and thinking about the future. __**What would she think? Would she even think about it at all? Would she ever speak to me again?**__ Then, he pressed send and there was no turning back._

_And then Chase waited. Waited for the familiar beep of a text message being received in Zoey's direction. But it never came._

_For Zoey's Tek-mate had fallen into the fountain, along with Chase's hope._

* * *

"Talk to…" Chase stopped mid-sentence. "Wait, Gretchen?" Sure enough, it was Gretchen standing before him, and standing with James. Not Zoey. _I am so confused here…_

"Hey." Gretchen said, and wiped her nose on her hand, which she them wiped onto her white dress.

"James," Chase turned his attention to the guy next to her. "Where's Zoey? I thought you were going to the prom with her. I thought she was your…um, _close female companion_."

"Was." Corrected James. Chase's eyes widened.

"What?!"

"I _was_ going to prom with her. She _was_ my girlfriend." James explained, a sad but understanding look in his eyes. "She broke up with me. She said she couldn't do it."

"Couldn't do what?" Chase was still in utter shock.

"How should I know? You know her better than me." James shrugged. "All I know is, Gretchen didn't have a date…so here I am." He grimaced as she began to pick her nose.

"Oh." Chase really didn't know what to say.

"Anyway," James continued. "I have a feeling it's about you. Go find her. I want her to be happy."

Brief pause.

"Alright." Chase sighed, his thoughts running a mile a minute. "Are we good? I know we got a rough start…"

James nodded. "We're cool. Go."

"Thanks, man." Chase said, really meaning it. "Nice seeing you again, Gretchen."

She stared blankly. "You're stupid."

Chase blinked. "Right." And off he went as fast as he could, knowing exactly where his best friend of three years would be.

* * *

_He was falling. Falling through despair and fear and so many other things. He refused to accept the fact that his grandma was gone. He couldn't do it. He just couldn't._

_What was he going to do next time he tripped and embarrassed himself? He'd go visit her, wanting to talk to her, for her to sing A Million Raindrops, even though he was sixteen. He didn't care. And she wouldn't be there. Her house would be as empty as sadness._

_Now his birthday, this supposed-to-be happy occasion, would now also mark the day of her passing. His e-card to her would never be opened._

_She wouldn't be at his graduation. Or his wedding day. Or at the day his first play or book is released. She would never meet her great grandkids. It was all too much to process. So he just wouldn't. He'll just sit here at the fountain in the pouring rain, and he won't cry. It'll make it easier._

_Suddenly, a voice he knew all too well broke him from his thoughts. "Do you want to be alone?"_

_After a few moments, thinking he should stick with his plan, he began to nod. But then, he decided that he needed her. He'd always need her. So he shook his head, and Zoey Brooks sat next to him. She put her arm around him._

_And then he cried on her shoulder. Cried for his grandmother, whom he missed so deeply that it was indescribable. _

_He realized it was okay to fall sometimes, whether physically or emotionally, because he had Zoey to catch him._

* * *

Turns out, Chase was right. She was at the fountain, where they'd shared so many memories; resolving spring break drama, catching up after the summer with javachinos, dancing late at night, and even the day they'd been reunited and Chase had his heart broken.

The stars were forming in the skies and there was a slight breeze, even though they were in California. The blare of the music from prom could be heard pretty clearly from the distance.

Zoey knew the reason she had parted with James. The answer was right there, right in her mind. But she avoided it, trying to think of anything besides Chase. She got up and started walking around the vicinity, looking for something to take her mind off of him.

Flagpole. _No, definitely not. _She noticed there was a dent in it, probably from Chase's bike. She gave a small smile.

Coffee Cart. Javachinos. _Sigh…no._

Bush. _Okay this is hopeless._

When a person can't get another person off their mind, maybe they're supposed to be there.

She sat back at the fountain, memories filling her mind as she stared at the ground. Had she ruined everything by dating James? The chances of that were high.

"I knew I'd find you here." Chase said out of nowhere. Zoey jumped up, startled, and tripped over her own feet. "Zo!" he ran and caught her before she fell. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. You alright?"

"Yeah, perfectly." She answered, and came out of his arms. "So you're speaking to me now, I guess?"

"Well, I heard –"

"After you broke our promise?"

"What?"

"Our promise." Zoey repeated, as if it was obvious. "To never let one of our relationships come between us. Ya broke it, Fuzzyhead."

"Fine, fine," he said. "But at least _I_ didn't not tell my best friend I was dating someone."

"Yes you did." Zoey reminded. "Rebecca."

"Oh." He face fell. "Right." He tried to think of something else. "Well, I went all the way to England and back because of you."

"So did I."

She was right.

"Why are we even talking about this?" Chase asked. They stared at each other, and all of a sudden, they both burst out laughing.

Zoey sat back down at the fountain, still laughing. "Come sit." He obeyed.

"I heard you had a rough time, James-wise." Chase forced himself to say after a while. "I'm sorry about that."

"Really?" Zoey turned to face him, and pulls her legs to her chest. "'Cause…I'm not."

"Oh really?" Chase half-smiled. "And why's that?" _Okay…breathe, Zoey, breathe._

"Well, I guess when you left," she started to explain. "You left a really big space. And I tried to fill it." She looked into his eyes. They were smiling. "I guess his hair wasn't bushy enough." She ruffled his hair, and they laughed.

"So what does this mean?" Chase asked, just wanting to hear it straight out. "I mean, you saying that, me hearing it, us being here, right now?"

"You actually need me to explain?"

"I'd appreciate it."

"Okay then." She smiled. "I'm in love with you, stupid."

"Oh my god," he let out a sigh of relief. "You don't know how good that felt to hear.

"It felt pretty good to say it too."

"Hey, you know what else I've wanted to do for the last three and a half years?" he questioned, smiling.

"What?" she asked.

"Close your eyes and find out." He leaned in and then – _Whop! _She'd hit him on the shoulder.

"Ow! Was that called for?" he whined.

She gave a teasing smile. "_That_ was for not telling me you were coming home." She tilted her head to the side. "And this, is also for not telling me you were coming home." She pressed her lips against his.

Fireworks, singing birds, hallelujah choruses. Everything everyone wishes for in a kiss. It was all there.

And then Chase decided three and a half years of falling was worth it.

After about 10 seconds, although to them it felt so much longer, they pulled apart and Zoey smiled. "Well, come on, let's enjoy prom!"

"Zo, you know PCA's got a dress code for dances." He pointed out. "And though you look absolutely beautiful in what you're wearing right now, they probably won't let us in."

"I know," she grabbed his hand. "We'll have our own prom, right here, right now. You could hear that music from Wisconsin."

Chase smiled. "Your wish is my command."

All of a sudden. "Ow – Michael! Your on my foot!"

"Ssh, Lola! They'll hear you!"

Chase and Zoey looked at each other.

"We've got some insane friends." Chase shook his head.

"You guys, we can hear you! Come on out!" Zoey shouted.

All at once, Lola, Quinn, Michael, Logan, Vince, and Lisa stumbled out of a nearby hedge.

"Lola, you ruined the moment!" Quinn argued.

"Not my fault!" Lola shot back.

"Wh-whoa!" Michael said, trying to cover up. "You guys, how'd we end up in the bush?"

"It's a crazy world." Logan added.

"Couldn't agree more." Vince put in.

"So," Zoey interrupted. "You guys were spying?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Michael shrugged.

"All Michael's idea, I swear." Lisa laughed.

"So, mind if we join your prom?" Lola asked, and took a bag out from behind her back. "We brought Dorito's!"

"And chemically altered fructose substances!" Quinn finished, revealing a box.

"What?" everyone asked except Logan.

"Healthier candy." She and Logan said at the same time, and they smiled.

"Tastes better, adds less." Quinn added.

"It's true, it's amazing." Lisa agreed.

"So?" Lola smiled, grabbing Vince's hands.

Zoey sighed and smiled at her friends. "Fine, come on." Everyone cheered.

"Oh, wait." Logan said. "Is this a good time to tell you guys that Quinn and I are dating?"

Everyone was silent, but strangely, no one laughed.

"Yeah, it would be." Zoey nodded. "That explains so much."

Everyone gave their agreements.

"Now, let's really prom it up!" Michael yelled, grabbing Lisa's hand. Everyone cheered again.

A slow song turned on back at the prom, which could be heard by the fountain where Chase and Zoey, Logan and Quinn, Michael and Lisa, and Vince and Lola all had their own dances as midnight fell at Pacific Coast Academy.

_**This is the life**_

_**(This is the dream, this is the wish)**_

_**This is the chance**_

_**(The chance that you, don't want to miss)**_

* * *

**A/N: Aaaaand that's a wrap!**

**Boy, was that fun to write. Hope you all enjoyed it. I lost my voice from a school carnival last night. Luckily you don't need a voice to type! Review please!**

**-Colors**


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